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February 6, 2018 To: Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Aging: Senator Douglas McCrory, Co-Chair Senator Kevin C. Kelly, Co-Chair Senator Tony Hwang, Vice-Chair Senator Edwin A. Gomes, Vice-Chair Representative Joseph C. Serra, Co-Chair Representative Daniel S. Rovero, Vice-Chair Representative Gary Byron, Ranking Member Representative John K. Hampton Representative Kelly Juleson-Scopino Representative Michael Winkler Representative Mitch Bolinsky Representative Anthony J, D’ Amelio Representative John Fusco From: Members of the Task Force to Study Senior Centers Re: Task Force to Study Senior Centers In accordance with Special Act 16-7: An Act Concerning Senior Centers, we hereby submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters related to aging, the final report of the Task Force to Study Senior Centers. The task force hopes the Aging Committee will consider these recommendations during its deliberations in the 2018 legislative session. Connecticut General Assembly Report of the Senior Center Task Force Special Act 16-7: An Act Concerning Senior Centers Submitted: February 6, 2018 Special Act 16-7 Senior Center Task Force Final Report 1 | P a g e Task Force Membership Dianne Stone-Co-Chair Appointed by Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney Senator Douglas McCrory, Co-Chair Aging Committee Representative Daniel Rovero, Vice Chair Aging Committee Tina Doyle Appointed by Speaker of the House, Joe Aresimowicz Maureen McIntyre Appointed by House Majority Leader Matt Ritter Harvey Frydman Appointed by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff Catherine Dinsmore Appointed by House Republican Leader Themis Klarides Steven Hernández Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, Executive Director Administrative Staff: Special Act 16-7 Senior Center Task Force Final Report 2 | P a g e Overview The following report is the culmination of the work of the Senior Center Task Force. In accordance with Special Act No. 16-7 the task force was charged with studying the following: 1. The resources and training needs of senior center personnel, municipal agents and other municipal employees to allow them to facilitate delivery of health and human services and related information 2. The most effective means to provide such resources and training 3. Current information delivery practices 4. Best practices in this state and other states for the delivery of such services and information 5. Barriers to access to information, and 6. Data on the cost of resources and staff provided by emergency medical services, municipal police departments and other entities to provide such health and human services and information in the calendar year 2015. Task Force Work Plan The Senior Center Task Force established a work plan to guide its deliberations. The plan included the identification of key tasks, a process to gather and analyze information and the formation of recommendations. Key tasks included: Defining health and human services and related information Identification of the core programs and services that older adults in Connecticut should expect to receive in their community. Identification of the current landscape and where Senior Centers/municipal aging services fit. Defining the expectation for effective delivery of core programs and services at a local level. Review current resources and training and identify gaps. Review best practices in other states. The task force met 11 times between May 2017 and February 2018. The task force invited experts to present at various task force meetings to speak on areas under study. Members Special Act 16-7 Senior Center Task Force Final Report 3 | P a g e of the Task Force also presented information specific to their area of expertise. Summaries of those meetings are provided in this report. The task force reviewed several plans, reports, presentations and other written material, all of which are linked to this report. Additionally, the task force, through Senator McCrory, asked the Office of Legislative Research to study other states’ legislation regarding Senior Centers. Finally, the task force conducted a survey of Senior Centers in Connecticut. A report of the findings of this survey was prepared with the assistance of Dr. Andrea June, CCSU. (Appendix A) Executive Summary Senior Centers are doing incredible work in our communities across the state. They are largely self-defined and there is vast diversity in structure, capacity, purpose and programs. They are a locally driven response to supporting the needs and interests of the communities that support them and they provide a rich tapestry of programs and services in socially supporting environments that improve the wellbeing, quality of life and independence of people as they age. There are currently 168 Senior Centers in Connecticut reaching an estimated 150,000 people. Senior Centers are largely municipal operations with a few regional and not for profit operations. There is an estimated $45 million dollars of local funding for Senior Centers and up to 1,000 full and part time employees. Research shows that that senior center participation has demonstrated impact on the health and well-being of older adults and leads to positive behavior change. Yet, the impact and value of Senior Centers to participants, to the community and to the state is often not recognized. Senior Centers are part of their local government and community. They are also part of the fabric of the larger ‘aging services network’ established by the Older Americas Act that includes the state unit on aging, the five independent Area Agencies on Aging and community based organizations. The state unit on aging has been located in the State Department of Social Services, the State Department on Aging and, currently, within the Department of Rehabilitation Services. Senior Centers participate to varying degree in member associations including the Connecticut Association of Senior Center Personnel (CASCP), Connecticut Local Administrators of Social Services (CLASS) and the Connecticut Association of Municipal Agents for Elderly (CAMAE) as well as other national, statewide and/or regional groups. Each Center’s connections, communications and engagement are different. While this is a strength, it also creates diversity in the range and quality of services, the knowledge base and training of staff and the opportunity for innovation. Special Act 16-7 Senior Center Task Force Final Report 4 | P a g e The task force gathered information about the programs and services that can and are being offered, the skills and competencies that senior center professionals should have and the challenges and opportunities in addressing the needs and interests of Connecticut’s population as it ages. The task force also gathered information about the resources available to Senior Centers, some known and some untapped. What is lacking is the capacity to coordinate and communicate these options, to collectively build partnerships and collaboration and to ensure that all Senior Centers, regardless of location or capacity, are connected. There is much work to be done and it must: be highly consultative with meaningful engagement of Senior Centers; take into consideration and represent the diversity of capacity among municipal services; allow for the flexibility of local needs and; respect the autonomy of local control. It must ensure that Senior Centers/municipal aging services are prepared to meet the needs and interests of their communities, are integrated into systems change, develop competencies, foster partnerships and, bring innovative programs to scale. It must ensure and promote their position as partners of choice and key agencies in the initiatives that support aging in place in our communities. The recommendations of this Task Force are presented as the next step, not the final step, in ensuring that our Senior Centers/municipal aging services are effective and thrive. Special Act 16-7 Senior Center Task Force Final Report 5 | P a g e Recommendations The Task Force in its deliberations and while trying to put forward meaningful recommendations, was especially mindful of Connecticut's current fiscal year deficit along with the even greater projected deficit for future years. While increasing funding for many initiatives, was discussed, it was determined that putting forward high-cost proposals was not feasible at this time. Instead, the task force's recommendations are generally low-cost ideas that could improve the ability of Connecticut municipal Senior Centers and aging services to provide effective programs and services to Connecticut’s older population. It should be noted that the task force believes municipal aging services representation should be a core part of any statewide or regional decision-making bodies that have oversight of programs and services. After listening to presentations from many of Connecticut’s experts, reviewing various plans and reports and reviewing the results of the survey of Senior Centers, the task force is prepared to make the following recommendations: Establish a Senior Center/Municipal Aging Statute that: 1. Expands and modernizes the current Municipal Agent for Elderly statute to include Senior Centers and to more accurately reflect municipal aging services. 2. Formalizes and fully funds the role of the senior center/municipal liaison within the state unit on aging. This position should: a. Establish and maintain a comprehensive inventory of Senior Centers/municipal aging services. b. Establish a clearinghouse of resources

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